Natural Remedies for Allergies

If you are an allergy sufferer you know that certain times of the year can be very painful. For some of us the whole year brings us allergy problems. If you are tired of sneezing and scratching your eyes there are steps that you can take to help ease your allergy suffering. Some of the tips and ideas listed below you may have already heard of, but I bet if you read it all you may just learn something new on how to stop suffering!

Try a warm washcloth

When I was a kid and my sinuses and allergies would flair up my mom would wet a washcloth with warm water and have me lay down and place it on my forehead, nose and cheek area. This trick not only helps with sinuses, but it also can help relieve non-sinus headaches too. The warmth from the cloth helps ease the pain in your sinuses and your head.

Use saline

A trick my sister taught me a few years ago was to cleanse the sinuses out with a saline solution (salt water). Now neti pots have become popular, and these little devises make it easier to irrigate the sinuses. Using sinus irrigation can help clean out mucus and irritants that could cause inflammation and sneezing. Saline solution is easy to concoct. Warm up a cup of distilled water and mix in a half a teaspoon of salt. Put it in the neti pot, tilt your head sideways over the sink and pour into one nostril, letting it run back out through the nose. Repeat on the other side. Do this once a day during allergy season.

Shut you windows

Watch the news and weather to find out which days are high pollen days and keep your windows shut. This will help keep excess pollen from coming in your house and adding to your irritation. Turn on a fan instead. Even your air conditioning unit can suck pollen in.

Wash often

If you spend time outdoors during allergy season or around anything in which you are allergic, make sure to wash your hand and even change your clothes. Allergens can attach themselves to your clothing and your skin. Cleaning up will get rid of them and save you a few sneezes.

Opt for wood floors

Carpets may be comfy and cozy, but they are also a great hiding place for dust and dust mites. Even pet dander can get lost in your carpet. If you can't get rid of your carpet then you really should invest in a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter that will suck up dust mites and allergies, and use it often!

Resource: Country Doctor's Book of Remedies & Cures, 2008